Old Town Bistro brings new city flare

Restaurant still growing after late grand opening

Old Town Bistro owners Kandis Roche and Ted Acton, center, gather with their staff during their grand opening. Not everyone is pictured, as the Bistro employs about 50 people with full or part-time jobs.
(David Martinez/Journal-Advocate)

STERLING -- If you live in northeast Colorado and haven't heard of Sterling's Old Town Bistro, either you haven't yet passed the corner of North Fourth and Main streets in 2013 or you've been living under a rock.

Word of the Bistro, which is part bakery, coffee shop, drive-thru, bar and restaurant, has been spreading since it first opened its doors on December 19.

But all of those who happened to pass by or crawl into the open are in luck; Old Town Bistro celebrated its grand opening with the Logan County Chamber of Commerce on Monday.

Dozens of business owners and passersby were treated to a look into the restaurant, which bustled with chefs, bartenders and wait staff, and received a taster of stuffed mushrooms, deviled eggs and fresh vegetables near their bar.

"It's been an interesting journey," co-owner Ted Acton told the crowd. "We've just been in a whirlwind."

He said he and co-owner Kandis Roche wanted to bring something to Sterling that it didn't already have.

And so far they've been successful.

Roche said the restaurant has received a great deal of support from the Sterling community, as well as neighboring northeast Colorado towns.

The Bistro has already established regulars, some who come in more than once a day. And their bakery has become increasingly popular, as have some of their specials. (They sold more than 200 "cabbage pockets" - their St. Patrick's Day special - for example).

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Acton, who has a special interest in wine, has had success drawing customers to sample their growing selection - a feat, he says, because he's marketing in "beer country."

But like any growing business, the duo also noted some major wrenches that were thrown into the Bistro's plains.

For one, the amount of staff needed to run their multifaceted restaurant took both Acton and Roche by surprise. The Bistro has given work to about 50 full and part-time employees - after cutting down.

Old Town Bistro co-owner Ted Acton serves a beer during the restaurant's grand opening.
(David Martinez/Journal-Advocate)

But the biggest issue came almost immediately after the restaurant opened in December. Their head chef, hired six weeks before opening, quit the afternoon of the restaurant's first day.

"We had to regroup. We said we would go ahead and take reservations," Acton said, adding that they went reservations-only for their dinner for the Bistro's first four or five weeks. "Otherwise we couldn't keep up with the load. We couldn't get the food out in good time."

The Bistro still hasn't found a replacement head chef, but their working chefs have learned to keep up with demand. They no longer need to take dinner reservations.

Still, the work of managing the Bistro has been exhausting, Roche and Acton agreed. The former River City Grill server and animal scientist said they didn't sleep at all the first two weeks the Bistro was open. Roche said she still starts her day at 3 in the morning at least three times per week to help run the bakery.

But that schedule, too, is getting easier. Acton compares it to college football, where new players have to adapt to a faster game; eventually the pace gets easier because they get used to it, not because it slows down.

"Food is a fast business," Acton said.

And the two are trying to balance that fast pace, which drives the entire food industry, with a consistent, fresh menu. The Bistro makes all of its food fresh - from its rolls to its steaks and sauces - and neither Acton nor Riche expect any big changes to what they offer.

Co-owners Ted Acton and Kandis Roche, center, cut the ribbon during their grand opening Monday with the Logan County Chamber of Commerce.
(David Martinez/Journal-Advocate)

Acton also said, though, that Bistro would offer small ones.

"You'll be stale in a heartbeat" if a restaurant doesn't try to improve, Acton said. "If you're not trying to make progress, you're moving backwards."

It's hard work and long hours in an ever-changing industry. But has it been worthwhile?

"It's a fun business," Roche said. "The best moment was when we finally opened the doors, to finally hear the laughter in this building. We all did a lot of work in here."

"We're comfortable here. We like being here," Acton said. "Hopefully we're doing something good for the area and the city."

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